How do I choose a coffee roaster to buy from?

Look for a roast date, a named origin, a variety and a processing method on the bag. A bag that tells you nothing about the coffee is telling you something.

How to Choose a Good Coffee Roaster

You can judge a roaster from the bag before you taste anything.

What a good bag tells you

A roast date. Not a best-before date — the day it was roasted. Its absence is the single most informative thing about a bag.

A specific origin. A farm, a co-operative or a washing station beats a region, which beats a country, which beats “Colombian blend”.

A variety. Bourbon, Caturra, SL28 — a roaster who knows this bought carefully.

A processing method. Washed, natural, honey, anaerobic.

An altitude. Correlates with density and quality.

A bag carrying four or five of those is from someone who bought coffee with intent. A bag saying “premium blend, best before 2028” is not.

Roast level

Most specialty roasters roast lighter than supermarket coffee. If you like dark, oily beans, say so — plenty of excellent roasters do darker profiles and it is worth asking rather than assuming.

Practical signals

Small bags. A roaster selling 10 to 12 oz (about 300 g) bags expects you to drink it fresh. One selling only kilos does not.

Frequent rotation. Seasonal offerings mean they buy per harvest.

They will talk to you. Email a roaster and ask what suits an AeroPress. The good ones answer properly.

Start local

Freshness is the whole game, and local means fewer days in transit.

Last reviewed 30 October 2026

Keep reading

How do I choose coffee for espresso?
Choose a medium roast 7 to 21 days from its roast date, and a blend if you drink milk. Match the coffee to the drink rather than to the fashion.
How do I read a coffee bag?
Read the roast date, origin, process, variety and altitude on a coffee bag. What is missing, like a roast date replaced by a best-before, tells you as much.
How do I taste coffee properly?
Slurp coffee from a spoon to aerate it, taste it as it cools and compare two cups side by side. Most of what you notice as flavor is actually smell.
How long does a bag of coffee last?
A 12 oz (340 g) bag makes about 18 double espressos or 22 drip brews; a 250 g bag about 14 or 16. Buy the size you will finish within three weeks.
How long do coffee beans stay fresh?
Coffee beans are at their best about 5 to 35 days after roasting. A best-before date tells you nothing; a roast date tells you where in that window you are.
How long should coffee rest after roasting?
Rest coffee about 4 to 10 days after roasting for filter and 7 to 21 days for espresso. Very fresh beans are still full of CO₂ and brew unevenly.